gdgt

There are excellent note taking apps for the iPad e.g. Note Taker HD, Notes+, uPad just to name few, all work with a finger, but are absolutely fabulous with a capacitive stylus. I've been using Note Taker HD for a while now, and have to say that I can't live without it, and it replaced my Livescribe completely. There are a few usable styluses for the iPad including Kensington Virtuoso, Boxwave, Targus, SGP H10, and more recently Wacom Bamboo stylus. So I don't think it's a question of whether there will ever be a requirement, but that the need has been recognized and met.

I definitely want my stylus back While i like the touch input for most things I used my xp convertable tablet for thing like sketch flow if i have an idea for an app and want to sketch it out see what happens. Fine tuning of some graphic elements. while i agree that the current popular tablets are more consumption then creation devices I think it would blurr the line for me at least a little more to included. using your finger as a stylus for anything but swiping is just ridiculous thats like getting a machette instead of the butter Knife. I personaly dont thing the convertable market did very well because they were never well marketed they very expensive and that whole swivel your screen idea is just retarded. Acer had actually come up wit an Awesome design where the screen slide up and tilted kind of like the out tilt from att or the new arrive on sprint I have not seen a design to compete until the inspiron duo (would be an awesom little tablet for me if it had a stylus i would own one) But im pretty sure that i can count on microsoft to add the support and get at least one manufacturer to support it they never like to let go of their stylus look how long it to for window mobile to transform and loose its stylus(uh oh hope thats not a pattern)

I need a stylus for sketching, but I need something with a finer point than whatI have seen out there. There is one with a clear tip and a magnetic dot that at least lets you see where your sketch line is connecting, but I really need something with a point on it to really feel comfortable.

I plan to get one for drawing apps, but that would be the only thing I would use it for.

Perhaps, but the day that keyboards fade out of the world will be a very sad day for me - I really like typing. Voice recognition will only get my throat sore (and dry) and I will surely miss the tactile feel of the keyboard. Perhaps, as seen with the Apple patent where bursts of air give you the feeling of typing on a physical keyboard, but nothing will replace the true feeling of typing on a keyboard.

not unless you are an artist and specifically need a pen to draw / paint

I think the cost is bad but for tablets we def need styleses because drawing with a finger, it's like typing with your nose

I think machines in the future will be able to tell apart accidental touches from intentional ones. What this means (for me) is we'll be able to rest our hands and palms on the screen without worrying about activating something by mistake, and it will let me either use my fingers for touch motion or a stylus so I can use my regular handwriting.

I think that there'll always be a niche for the graphic designer. Although we haven't seen much demand yet, graphics tablets are widely used with computers so I think we will when the technology matures.

For some things, pens and styluses (Styli? God knows) are simply more accurate than fingers, they always will be.

For handwriting though? Probably not. Maybe, but I can't really see that idea taking off. I'm thinking more about graphic design, editing pictures and so forth.

I'm actually writing this comment with a pen. I usually just rotate my display back to type on the keyboard, though. Microsoft still has an inconvenient pop-up pen input window for handwriting. They never really sat down and made an easy way to include pen in today's interfaces. I am a paperless college student thanks to OneNote and I use the pen to annotate PDFs, doodle in Paint, and play games like World of Goo, but Microsoft really could have made tablets a lot more than the giant smart phones they are today.

I think my finger makes a fine stylus I just wish it wasn't so greasy...

Hey, who cares about writing - it's so much harder to draw rage comics with your stubby finger.

I think people are missing the fact that the current implementation of the stylus doesnt work accurately as pen and paper. When the stylus is at that level there is just no use for it. I would love to own a tablet like device that while in school i could use the bluetooth keyboard or a pen/stylus to write notes. Right now with the use of capacative touch screens, the stylus hasnt been as accurate as traditional pen and paper. To be completely honest if Apple released a stylus for the ipad 2 or next gen tablet, and it was as accurate as there touch screens everyone would have one. I think the market is untapped because of failed attempts in implementation.

And lets not forget the MS Courier that was killed off, I believe anyone that say this concept device knew that if something like this was executed properly it would have been a big sell...

I use an Apple Magic Trackpad. I think since the bundled bluetooth keyboard does not have a 10key that apple should at least make numerical handwriting recognition built into the trackpad. There are times where I wish this was available. As far as a stylus, it has its applications, but for me it is just something else to loose.